In San Angelo, COVID-19 Cases Down Since School Began

SAN ANGELO, TX — The anticipated spike in COVID-19 infections did not materialize with the re-opening of the San Angelo area schools this fall. The San Angelo ISD offered parents a choice of instructional models. Pupils could either attend class online only or attend class in person at San Angelo ISD campuses. The first day of school on campus was Aug. 19. High school students returned to campus on Sept. 2.

It is now 20 days after in-person instruction began. How is the COVID-19 infection rate?

Despite dire warnings from the national news media, the number of daily infections reported are generally flat (see chart).

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Above: COVID-19 Case Count Chart from the beginning through Sept. 19, 2020. (City of San Angelo)

What is remarkable is the number of active cases dropped from 722 on Aug. 19 when classes started at most elementary and middle schools to 153 as of yesterday, Sept. 21.

* Number of cases reported since March when the COVID-19 daily case counts began. The right number is the delta in new cases since school started Aug. 19. The approximate 2-week intervals are added show the number of cases is dropping to flat. The last period is only over 5 days.

Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have also dropped since the fall semester began. On opening day of school, 49 people were reported in the hospital with COVID, 10 in intensive care (ICU). On Sept 21, a little over a month since classes started, The San Angelo City-County Health Department reported 16 hospitalized and only 1 in ICU.

San Angelo ISD has incorporated strict mitigation procedures that include asking the parents to check their child for symptoms of COVID-19 including fever, loss of smell, or a cough. If the child has these symptoms, the parents must acknowledge they will not send their child to a physical classroom but revert to online schooling instead.

Many parents, fearing a spike in COVID-19 after school began, opted to have their child participate in online classes only. It is not too late for those parents to change their minds. Until Sept. 25, parents of children attending online-only classes have the option to switch to in-person classroom instruction for the 9-week grading period that begins Oct. 19. Details here.